Matthew Stafford became the NFL’s highest paid player after agreeing to a five-year extension with the Lions that will pay him $27 million per year on average, or, $135 million over the life of his contract.

It is predicted that the quarterback market will be bursting with record signings with Drew Brees and Kurt Cousins’ contracts expiring after this season. Stafford and Carr’s names were bound for free agency in 2018 as well, but both Detroit and Oakland forewent using the franchise tag on their young slingers and figured to pay up before likely having to offer up even bigger deals in the competitive off season to come. Prior to Stafford’s $135 million tag, Carr held the record thanks to a $125 Million deal he signed in June.

While Stafford has long faced questions about his ability to lead a team into the post season, having yet made any post season noise, his numbers are solid without a doubt. The 29-year-old holds franchise records for completions (2,634), passing yards (30,303), and touchdowns (187). He is also the first quarterback in history to average as many as 278.0 passing yards per game through his first eight seasons.